He disappeared into a swarm of shadows before either of us could reply.
“Next week?” I repeated. “No, no. I don’t want to see him again. I’m going home.”
“Afraid not, sweetheart,” Prince Kolstov replied. “You’re going to Midnight Fae Academy. With me.”
What?! “Like hell I am.” I made to move around him, but he stepped into my way, my head barely clearing his shoulder.
Glowering up at him, I took in his familiar features. Strong cheekbones. Chiseled jaw. Neatly trimmed facial hair that appeared to be darker than the bronze locks on his head. Well, not exactly bronze. More like brown with streaks of red that seemed to flare beneath the lighting. Handsome, really.
No, downright hot.
But that didn’t mean—
Wait…
“I know you,” I said, my eyes widening. “You were at Cyrus’s coronation.”
I’d asked Claire who the handsome foreign fae was after catching a glimpse of him in the crowd. If I remembered right, he knew Cyrus and Exos. Which meant he could get a message to the Elemental Fae Council for me.
“Yes, I was,” he confirmed.
My shoulders instantly relaxed. “Oh, good. Then this is all just a misunderstanding. You know I can’t stay here.”
“What I know is, you can’t leave here,” he corrected. “Not until we see how Shade’s bite affects you.”
“You mean the bite that was against my will? The one he forced on me before taking me captive?”
A muscle in his jaw ticked, the only indication my words meant something to him. “Regardless of how it happened, you’re here now and we can’t change the past. All we can do is prepare for the future. So, if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to Midnight Fae Academy and your new accommodations.”
He turned as if he expected me to magically agree to his command.
I placed my hands on my hips. “Yeah, no. I refuse.”
Kolstov glanced at me over his shoulder, those golden irises flaring with power. “Refusal isn’t an option.” He turned a little and produced a wand from his cloak. “I’m trying to do this the kind way, Aflora. If you prefer the harder route, then we can dance. But I assure you, you’ll lose.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Queen Claire will not approve of this treatment.”
“Queen Claire has no jurisdiction here or over me.” He faced me once more. “Which road are we taking, sweetheart? Because my patience is already at wits’ end due to Shade taking his fucking time downstairs.”
Given that my powers still didn’t work here, my options were limited. Either I tested the extent of what that wand in his hand could do or I pretended to play along.
Maybe my powers will regenerate outside these walls, I thought, considering him and his casual stance. Worth a shot because staying here isn’t going to fix anything.
“All right. Fine. Take me to the Academy.”
Amusement sparked in his gaze. “Dancing it is,” he mused and put his wand away. His response suggested he expected me to act out despite my words. He was probably right. “Come along, pet.”
I glowered at his back after he turned, not appreciating the “endearment” one bit.
Pet, I thought at him. Yeah, I’m a pet all right. With teeth.
He led me into an elevator of sorts, then keyed a code in plain sight, suggesting he didn’t mind me knowing it. Or maybe he was just that stupid. I memorized the alphanumeric mix, just in case.
The walls shifted around us, crickets sounding in the distance. I focused on the shifting scenery, searching for anything familiar, when we suddenly materialized outside a set of iron gates that were nearly three times my height.
Kolstov murmured a foreign command that caused the doors to open, then gestured for me to cross the creepy threshold. Two stone gargoyles stood watch, their red gazes analyzing my every move.
I swallowed.